Musk to offer Twitter account verification as a subscription service

That sought-after little blue Twitter checkmark may soon become easier for anyone to obtain. For a price.

Self-proclaimed “Chief Twit” Elon Musk announced a plan to open the floodgates to user-verification on the social media platform.

“Twitter’s current lords & peasants system for who has or doesn’t have a blue checkmark is bullshit,” Musk tweeted, adding that he would “give power to the people” at a price of $8 a month and that the price would be “adjusted by country proportionate to purchasing power parity.”

Aside from the verified account badge, users willing to pay for verification will get priority in replies, mentions and search, see half as many ads, and have the ability to post longer video and audio files, according to Musk's thread. 

"This will also give Twitter a revenue stream to reward content creators," Musk said.

Users who pay can also bypass paywalls for publishers willing to work with Twitter, he said.

Although the change may be welcomed by some, other users have voiced concern over fears that paid-for verification will give would-be scammers a veneer of legitimacy.